List of Famous people who died in 2021

Mangala Pinsiri Samaraweera was a Sri Lankan politician. He was also the first openly gay politician from Sri Lanka. He was the Minister of Finance from 2017 to 2019, and the Minister of Foreign Affairs, for two terms from 2005 to 2007 and 2015 to 2017. He created a stir in Sri Lankan politics when he was sacked as a minister by President Mahinda Rajapakse in 2007, after which he formed a new political party called the Sri Lanka Freedom Party (Mahajana) Wing, which later merged with the United National Party in 2010.

Nikolai Paltsev was a Russian politician. A member of United Russia, he served as mayor of Stavropol from 2008 to 2011.

Mark York also known as Marcus A. York was an American actor best known for his role as Billy Merchant in NBC's The Office. He also had roles in CSI: NY, 8 Simple Rules, and A.I. Artificial Intelligence (2001).

Donald Christopher Barber OBE was an English jazz musician, best known as a bandleader and trombonist. As well as scoring a UK top twenty trad jazz hit with "Petite Fleur" in 1959, he helped the careers of many musicians. These included the blues singer Ottilie Patterson, who was at one time his wife, and Lonnie Donegan, whose appearances with Barber triggered the skiffle craze of the mid-1950s and who had his first transatlantic hit, "Rock Island Line", while with Barber's band. He provided an audience for Donegan and, later, Alexis Korner, and sponsored African-American blues musicians to visit Britain, making Barber a significant figure in launching the British rhythm and blues and "beat boom" of the 1960s.

George Mraz was a Czech-born American jazz bassist and alto saxophonist. He was a member of Oscar Peterson's group, and worked with Pepper Adams, Stan Getz, Michel Petrucciani, Stephane Grappelli, Tommy Flanagan, Jimmy Raney, Chet Baker, Joe Henderson, John Abercrombie, John Scofield, and Richie Beirach, among others.

Christopher John Kirubi, born in Murang'a county, was a Kenyan businessman, entrepreneur, and industrialist. He was a director at Centum Investment Company, a business conglomerate, of which he was the largest individual shareholder.

Leonid Vladimirovich Bartenyev was a Soviet athlete who competed mainly in the 100 metres. Bartenyev was born in Poltava in October 1933. He trained at Burevestnik in Kiev. He competed for the USSR in the 1956 Summer Olympics held in Melbourne in the 4 x 100 metre relay where he won the silver medal with his teammates Boris Tokarev, Yuriy Konovalov, and Vladimir Sukharev. He teamed up with Yuriy Konovalov again four years later in the 1960 Summer Olympics held in Rome in the 4 x 100 metre relay where they won their second silver medals with new teammates Gusman Kosanov and Edvin Ozolin.

Alvin Keith McCants was a professional American football linebacker and radio broadcaster who played for six seasons in the National Football League (NFL) for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, the Houston Oilers, and the Arizona Cardinals from 1990 to 1995. He was selected by Tampa Bay in the 1st round of the 1990 NFL Draft.

Miguel de Oliveira was a Brazilian middleweight boxer.

Leo Joseph Boivin was a Canadian professional ice hockey defenceman and coach who played 19 seasons in the National Hockey League (NHL). He played for the Toronto Maple Leafs, Boston Bruins, Detroit Red Wings, Pittsburgh Penguins, and Minnesota North Stars from 1952 to 1970.